This invention relates to a circular knitting machine incorporating a device for renewing a needle selection at at least one yarn feed. The machine comprises at least two yarn feeds, at least one associated pattern selection device, a plurality of tiltable pattern jacks associated with the needles and provided with butts for selection by said pattern selection device, a ring cam having raised portions associated with the yarn feeds for guiding the jacks selected to bring the respective needles to knit, and a surface radially inside said ring cam for guiding the jacks selected not to follow said raised portions.
A machine of this type is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,662,572. In knitting particular knitted products of tubular configuration, such as some hosiery articles, on circular machines of this type, it is often necessary to renew or repeat a given needle selection at a following yarn feed. Such reiteration obviously does not justify the provision of a programmable pattern selection device proper, e.g. a pattern drum and selection slides, which would have the same pattern program as the preceding device and significantly complicate the machine overall construction owing to the additional means required for controlling the device, such as the mechanism for advancing the pattern drum stepwise.